1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to automobile bodies, and more particularly to an automobile body reinforcement member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automobile bodies are made up of a plurality of structural members, mostly made of steel, that are attached together to provide the framework to which the mechanical components, such as the drive train and suspension, mount. Some automobile bodies have a central structural frame with rigid and heavy steel channels to which all other body parts attach. It has also been understood for some time that unit-body (unibody) automobile bodies are advantageous. Unibody automobile bodies have no separate central frame, but form a structural framework for the mechanical components by rigidly attaching thin metal body panels together with thicker reinforcement members to form a body that is very strong and light.
Because of safety concerns, unibody automobiles are occasionally modified by adding structural reinforcement members to weaker areas or areas prone to permit harm to come to the occupants of the automobile in the event of a crash. These reinforcement members strengthen the body in the area where they will provide the most crash protection. These reinforcing members are added during manufacture in such a way that they are hidden from the consumer by the visible parts of the automobile body, such as the exterior body panels.
There is a need for structural reinforcements that not only make the automobile body stronger to protect occupants in the event of a crash, but also increase the resistance to torsion and bending, especially at the rear of the automobile, but also at the front.
The invention is an automobile body having improved resistance to torsional deformation. Significant torsional deformation, also called body twist, can affect the way an automobile handles, and one object of the invention is to reduce the amount of such deformation for a given force. The automobile body comprises a left rear inner panel on a left side of the automobile and a right rear inner panel on a right side of the automobile. A left damper stiffener is rigidly attached to the left rear inner panel near a left point of attachment to the body of an automobile suspension. The left damper stiffener reinforces the automobile body around the point of attachment of the suspension component. A right damper stiffener is rigidly attached to the right rear inner panel near a right point of attachment to the body of an automobile suspension for the same reason as the left damper stiffener.
A left damper stiffener extension extends from rigid attachment to the left damper stiffener to rigid attachment to a body member positioned rearward of the damper stiffener, such as the rear panel, the side panel outer, side panel outer extension and/or rear frame member. A right damper stiffener extension extends from rigid attachment to the right damper stiffener to rigid attachment to a body member positioned rearward of the damper stiffener.
In one embodiment of the invention, these automobile body members are combined with a box-beam parcel shelf rigidly mounted at a left side to the left rear inner panel and at a right side to the right rear inner panel. The combination of the damper stiffener extensions, the box-beam parcel shelf and the rear panel of the automobile body forms an extremely rigid unit that significantly reduces automobile body torsional and bending deformation and thereby gives a more rigid structure for the suspension to cooperate with.
In another embodiment of the invention, the box-beam parcel shelf is mounted, without the damper stiffener extensions, to a left rear inner panel on a left side of the automobile and a right rear inner panel on a right side of the automobile. The box-beam parcel shelf alone adds significantly to the torsional rigidity of the automobile body.